About The Real Book Shop

[We have recently changed our name from The Online Book Shop to The Real Book Shop, as we wanted it to be evident that we sell real traditional paper books.]

We started selling books from a small traditional bookshop in our house on Weymouth Harbour in 2006. This shop was called Red Books, and was run by owner, John, who sold a vast selection of mostly secondhand books. We specialised in Military, Fantasy, Horror and Science Fiction. We also sold on Amazon and Abe Books, as Red Books. Red Books closed in 2008.  Meet the Local Authors Day 2011

Then in 2010, we opened a shop in St Alban Street (with the flags and bunting) in Weymouth main town. This was called Imagine Books, and traded for three years. Here, we sold mostly new books and gifts in the front of the shop, and second hand books at the back. We also sold antiquarian books. Our specialities, then, were Mind-Body-Spirit, History, Classic Literature, and Local Interest (Weymouth and Portland and the rest of Dorset, mostly)

At Imagine Books, we hosted countless local and national book launches and signings, held 'Meet the Local Authors Days', and Children's Books reading days.

As a local independent community bookshop, we raised several thousand pounds for local charities, sold tickets for local events, and became an official Tourist Information Point. We were also extremely active in Weymouth and Portland's hosting of the Sailing Events of the London 2012 Olympics, with daily book signings, many visits from team members, and support for the Olympic Sailors in general.

Moving with the times, we have left the High Street, and now provide a dedicated online presence, selling a vast selection of all our speciality subjects, from home (what was the Red Books shop is now an online shop store). 

With several years of experience under our belts, we continue to grow our online presence on Amazon and Abe Books, and we are now selling from this website, as well.

The main reason for this website is to eventually provide the customer with a user-friendly online shop, where you can easily browse all we have to offer, and buy all in one basket.

We naturally will continue to sell on Amazon, as this is the main marketplace for books online, and we have built up a good reputation for customer service. All our reviews on Amazon are real, from real customers.

We continue to sell on Abe Books, as this is the main marketplace for antiquarian and collectible books. Here, professional buyers and sellers, as well as the International general public have been trading for longer than Amazon has been in existence. Here, too, we have built up an excellent reputation for customer service. We are now listed on the Abe Books list of Antiquarian Booksellers.

So please join us, and keep returning to this site as it grows. There is nothing quite like this on the Internet -

Your Local Independent Bookshop with several years' excellent reputation and expertise - just waiting to provide you with individual customer service.